My Shadow and Me

 Eloise Staying Cool in the Kitchen

I can remember as a child loving to stand 
in front of the fan watching my skirt dance 
in the wind.


"What dreadful hot weather we have!  
It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance.”  
~Jane Austen

This post is linked with:
 "The Weekend in Black and White,”
and
"Shadow Shot Sunday 2."

A Look into the Life of a Hiker

These Are Bud’s First Installment of Shots from His 2012 Hike 

He Promises More 

 "Gran" of Western Carolina,4'10" 90lbs and just turned 80. She has done 1800 miles of the Appalachian Trail and runs marathons to keep in shape.

"Smoked Nuts"," (I Wanna) Big Mac” and

 "The Grand Pooba" at the trailhead..

Love those trail names. Bud’s is “Foxfire."

9 Bed HostelDorm Room 

A Bit Crampe,d but It’s a Bed

From the Hundred Mile Wilderness, Maine

This is Pretzel from Ohio. I met him in Hot Springs, NC, in March. It’s a small world!


“You meet people who forget you. You forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can’t forget. 
Those are your friends.
~annonomous


This post is linked with Scenic Sunday.

Mountain Skies

The Skies of the Blue Ridge

"Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man."

                                                                      ~Edward Steichen

This post is linked with Skywatch Friday.

We Have a New Sign at Our House

You never know what you are going to see on our road...this is across and up just a bit. I thought the people up there only knew how to rev engines, ride 4 wheelers up and down the road, play loud music at night that we can hear, shoot off guns and firecrackers day and night all year long. Little did I know we had a “painter”  living up there in one of the trailers. Thank heavens they are hidden by trees from our view. When I bought the farm, it was all farm land over there. Then about 20 years ago the owner decided to pull in 3 old trailers and rent them. Sadly we own only the land behind and on both sides of us....not across the road. This picture was taken BEFORE the devastating wind storm we had.

This is after the storm and taken just tonight. The sign has been in those bushes for weeks now, and I do not even think they know it is over here. I am waiting to see if they will finally notice it. If not I will put it beside their driveway in a few more weeks.

I love the idea that “VIEW” is the only word we see. 

Since Buddy is out hiking right now, I could not resist adding this to the post. I used it last year when he went hiking for a month in Vermont, but I thought it would be fun to post it again this year.


This post is linked with Lesley’s Signs, Signs.

Bud’s 2012 Hike

 This Years Hiking Trip Has Begun

Bud’s Arrival at the Richmond Airport Sunday morning for flight to Bangor, Maine.

I made sure he had his etickets and driver’s license this time. Remember last year he showed up at train station without any ID? Thank goodness I just happened to throw his passport in my bag. No problems this year.

Gotta have one last visit to the restroom before security.

Gene and Eloise handing off the squished up pack to Bud. It was way heavier (35 pounds) and much larger than allowed by Delta in the overhead, so he took out a bunch of his stuff and stuck it in a cloth grocery bag. He sent everything ahead that would not be allowed aboard the plane by postal service like his walking sticks, first aid kit, and toiletries. 

Time to say good-bye.

Monday he sent back this picture...
“Sunrise at Monson, Maine"

This morning he sent this iPhone shot. The note said:
"Close to White Cap Summit 3600 feet”
He looks like a very happy hiker to me. Stay tuned for updates as they arrive. 


“Doubly happy, however, is the man to whom lofty mountain tops are within reach.”
~John Muir


This post is linked with:
"Our World Tuesday"

I Love Lilies!

Oh, Happy Day! The Lilies Are Blooming in 
All of Their Glory


“To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers 
is a delectable form of defeat.”
~Beverly Nichols


This post is linked with "Macro Monday.”

A Wee Bug, A Touch of Pink, and a Feeling of Melancholy

"When the heart grieves over what it has lost, 

the spirit rejoices over what it has left.”

~Sufi Epigram

Things are OK....just a lot more damage to the house and yard due to the earlier flooding and then the big wind storm than we had expected. I am sure all of you have been through times like these. You just hold it together and move on. Sorry I have not been online reading your posts, posting some of my own, and commenting on yours. I have missed you all. The exciting news is Buddy is leaving on Sunday for a 3 week hike in the mountains of Maine. I will post his photos as he sends them back to me. That guy was meant to be in the woods. They are his little bit of heaven here on earth.

Fencing from the Archives

Due to the storm I had to go into my pictures from this winter to come up with a post. I have not had much time to do anything but clean up the leaf and branch strewn yard.

 Nice New Fencing

Nice Older Fencing

Finally Some Real Old Bent Wire Fencing

This post is linked with Jan and Jer’s Friday Fences.

Pearls Glistening in the Rain

This post is linked with “Weekend in Black and White."

Life after the Storm

Last Friday night Buddy and I went out to eat, and on the way home Buddy told me to look up at the sky...that the clouds were a funny gray and appeared to be moving in a bizarre way. By the time I looked up it hit. The winds were so strong (we read winds were 70 mph) it felt lie the car was going to take flight. A transformer blew as we were at it and sparks and wires went flying. The tree branches were hitting our windshield, and we could hardly see. As we got to the Baptist church, I saw some cars with their lights.  Buddy and I stopped, went into the church with others, and stayed there at least an hour. When the winds finally calmed down we drove the mile to our house and stumbled in. No lights or phones. Here are a few pictures.

As you exit the interstate, you turn left at these signs...my contribution to Lesley’s Signs, Signs. The wind had blown them over. This field made it without a loss of trees. One 200 year old tree in Stonewall Jackson Cemetery blew over, but fortunately it did not get the Stonewall tombs

 We awakened to see 1/3 of the tree right beside our Bridge to Somewhere down. It was way too close to the bridge for comfort. We would have lost it or done serious damage if the entire tree had fallen.

The upper part of the tree consumed the creek.

 In this picture you can see the part of the tree that split away.

After a week of cleaning and  carrying away all of the parts of branches which had broken off and fallen into the creek, I am down to bits and pieces like these. It is still pretty messy but lots better than earlier this week.

As you can see here, the tree on the bank behind the house are now ON the roof. We have lots of cutting to do here. Gene and my Eloise are coming in this weekend to help. Eloise’s job is to be in charge of the sun screen,water, and to help her Baga (me) to clean up the rest of the creek.

Sorry about the blurry shot, but I was shooting through the windshield. You can still see the beautiful blue sky and all the cars.

Today a call went out for volunteers to go to the county high school to help hand out ice to people. Sorry about the blurry first shot, but I was shooting through the windshield and didn’t so a very good job. You can still see the beautiful blue sky and all the cars.Two tractor trailers full of ice were coming. I cannot tell you how hot it was out there this afternoon. It was a killer. Much of our county is still without electricity or phones, and being without electricity means no water. This was a non-discriminating vicious storm that hit us and the rest of the country. It took out rich and poor alike. Parts of the city of Lexington are still without everything, and much of the county is a long ways from being restored to normal. Now, they are talking about Saturday. Thank heavens we were among the lucky ones. Everything was restored to us by Sunday except for internet, and we just got that today. 

This post is linked with :

Signs, Signs
Rural Thursday Blog Hop

Skywatch Friday

Sunday Bridges